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Sometime before lunch I met Logic, one of the few names I can easily remember and right up my alley. He is an MSU ( Midlands State University) student and was very helpful to me. MSU is new university in Gweru (est. 2000) that a group of church youth are attending in hopes that a degree can help their situation out and that of their country. From Logic I learned that the “youth” of Christian Zimbabwe was basically encompassing 16 to 28 year olds, and suddenly I realized that part of my preparation was targeting the wrong age group or not being inclusive enough. I talked with him some more and also with Fanny before deciding to switch my sessions around. I did a “Mentor Me” lesson in the afternoon with VBS high schoolers, and saved the “Servant Leadership” lesson for Sunday with the youth at Mkoba.

The session Saturday afternoon went as well as could be expected. Steve was there and helped me out by passing out pencils and index cards that I had brought in my luggage. We split the kids into groups, which I’m quite glad for even though there were at least 45 there I think. This allowed the kids to share Scripture with those that had it and work in teams on passages that focused on either Paul being a mentor or being mentored by someone.

The highlight for me was passing around my journal and having them record their names and the meaning of their name if they knew that. That really gave me a flavor for what I was dealing with, because afterward many introduced themselves and a couple had specific prayer requests. I told them to write them down and that gave me an idea for the Mkoba lesson Sunday.

One boy’s name was Saeed Karl, and he was interested in the fact that we shared similar names. Then there was Tonderai, which means “Remembering”, and whose name I always forgot. And that didn’t mean I remembered the one whose name meant “to forget” either (no kidding). But they were expressive names. Some other examples:

The VBS was a success. We only did one session in the afternoon plus crafts, which I guess the kids really enjoyed. One of the crafts was to make a Mother’s Day bag and it was pretty cool to see some of the mothers carrying them the next day at church.

The team was exhausted when it was over, but pleased. The closing ceremony was another time of song, dance, and handing out award certificates. We eventually said goodbye to the children and new that many would be back for worship the next day.

Irene went to meet with the “Women of Integrity” group in the afternoon and spoke there.

The electricity was out in the evening again and that continued into the night. One might wonder how they deal with this randomness, but they manage. Some perishable things are moved from the fridge to the freezer. Other items like milk is the “long life” variety, so it can go without being cooled for quite some time. Other items are used the day they are purchased.

Irene presented a quilt she had worked on to the Nyamutoras, and later that evening, Martha presented the team with a cake that was passed around and shared with tea time and evening devotions. I worked on my lesson for the next day by battery light and flashlight.

Windows Media Video clip(s):

VBS Closing Ceremony 1:08